1st Feb – back to day therapy for review. Help they don’t know what to do with me, file
hasn’t been written up correctly, that’s when they find my file, they have an old one! Finally cop on to phone Denis Secretary, he’s away, knew that and told them, it is agreed that plastics nurse will rescue me and another consultant will review. Ok this bloody graft is huge, way way bigger than last one and I seem to have 3 donor sites. It is a double thickness graft with a fat transfer and it hasn’t all taken. However no sign of infection so re dressed, facial stitches taken out and away I go.

4th Feb – dressing change again, lost more of the graft. Have now lost 25% so again
emphasised to keep elevated Etc. etc. I’ve done nothing wrong. Very disappointing. On the positive no sign of infection. Back for another date with Denis on Monday!

Monday 7th – Well Denis had a look today, he’s happy, yes graft not taking properly but he said that considering location etc. he wasn’t every optimistic that it would take fully. Donor sites undressed, one large blister stuck to dressing so have one very large circular raw piece. Back Thursday

Thursday 10th – Lorraine gently peeled off dressings. Donor sites doing ok still
one very raw area, graft site oozing quite a bit. Denis came down for a look again and spoke double Dutch as if I wasn’t there. He asked me was everything ok and I said that I hadn’t understood a word but was confident that his nurse would explain everything!! Basically I have over granulated in one area which is exactly where I’ve been sore past couple of days. When I return again on Tuesday they are going to use a caustic stick type thingy to burn this area off. Still completely immobile

Friday 11th – my 4 pals came over and kidnapped me. It felt great being out and nearly
normal again. Thank you good friends

Tuesday 15th – Well it looks like this is going to be 1 step forward 2 steps back. Today
I was in the enviable position of having 2 nurses and a consultant all fight over me. I was nervous going in as felt my dressing had got a bit stinky – funny am rarely wrong. The dressings were soaked when they were removed and all felt that 4 days was probably too long to wait between dressings for me. The donor sites have completely deteriorated, whereas last week everything was dry apart from one tiny area today the 3 sites were raw and oozing. It appears I have developed an infection. Having cleaned it, sore, they put this bacterial antibiotic gel type stuff on. It is now redressed but has been quite sore
since. The graft area has also gone backwards and was oozing to the point of dripping off my leg when I lifted it, yeuch. So two nurses attacked it with scalpels etc., loads was cut, trimmed etc. then they took silver nitrate sticks to it. One area had over granulated last
week but now most of it has. As I sit the graft area has been covered tightly to be reviewed again in 48 hours. The step forward is that I am now allowed bend my leg. I think the consultant thinks that no more total rest will improve anything at this stage. I do have muscle wastage, but at least can slowly move without crutches although still needed for stairs as knee just won’t hold my weight. I plan to exercise this as much as I can over coming days so get some mobility back before treatment starts. Oh forgot the best
bit, I’ve developed a haematoma in graft site which was also sorted today!

Thursday 17th – Hang on something not going quite so right, after all the stuff on Tuesday today was supposed to be a leap forward instead it appears I’ve gone further backwards. This is not the plan and I am now totally pissed off with this and want it to end NOW!
Donor sites still weeping/bleeding etc. so more of the antibiotic ointment, it burns like hell and will stay that way on and off for the next 24 hours. Graft site it just getting ridiculous now, as soon as they take off the dressing it oozes so much it runs down my leg and onto the treatment table. The entire site has now over granulated so more silver nitrate stick to
this and some to the donor sites. Today, however, we have a new problem, despite all my dressings being hypo allergenic I’ve broken out in a bad rash on my leg, it’s fed up with be constantly dressed, so a new discussion today was on exactly what to dress my sites
with? The itch is something else, agh, so have to take anti histamine, these never really work for me anyway so I’m not expecting much. Back on Monday, however, due to the amount of oozing I can return for dressings tomorrow, if needed, but am to change myself Saturday evening, really not looking forward to that. Not a good day!